Tenure-track Assistant Professor, Culture & the Augustinian Catholic Intellectual Tradition

Tenure-track Assistant Professor, Culture & the Augustinian Catholic Intellectual Tradition

Position Summary:

How does culture shape the human pursuit of the good life? The Villanova Department of Humanities invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position at the rank of assistant professor, with interdisciplinary undergraduate teaching and research that draws on the Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition to engage with major aesthetic, existential, and moral questions at the intersection of culture, creativity, community, and human flourishing. Our new colleague begins in August 2025 with a teaching load of 3-2 (2-2 in first year of appointment). Successful candidates may come from a range of possible research specializations such as art and art history, cultural anthropology, humane economics, or sociology.

As part of an innovative curriculum, seminars in the interdisciplinary Humanities major guide highly motivated undergraduates through significant questions about human life in a dialogue between the contemporary world and the Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition. Our faculty’s areas of expertise range from architecture to literature to politics, and we welcome applications from scholars whose interdisciplinary teaching and research likewise explores pressing philosophical and theological questions about their own disciplinary areas. In addition, we invite applications from those who explore the diversity within the Catholic intellectual tradition and highlight opportunities for fruitful dialogue with diverse partners beyond that tradition.

Villanova is a Roman Catholic University sponsored by the Augustinian Order. An AA/EEO employer located in the ethnically and culturally diverse Philadelphia metro region, Villanova seeks a diverse faculty committed to scholarship, service, and especially teaching, who understand, respect, and can contribute to the University’s mission and values. Diversity and inclusion are integral components of Villanova University’s mission and strategic plan.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Teaching within the Humanities major will include required interdisciplinary Humanities Seminars on the “Great Questions” surrounding God, the Human Person, the Natural World, and Society as well as self-designed, interdisciplinary elective courses. Faculty also teach courses in the Augustine and Culture Seminar Program (ACS) required of first-year students. ACS is a two-semester writing intensive interdisciplinary seminar that gives attention to the Catholic intellectual tradition and its ongoing mission to defend the dignity of the human person, recognize the need for human solidarity, and serve the common good. Additional teaching opportunities may be available.

Minimum Qualifications:

Candidates must have a Ph.D., or be near completion, in a relevant discipline.

Preferred Qualifications:

Successful candidates will demonstrate a strong commitment to undergraduate, interdisciplinary teaching in the Humanities, and an interest in the liberal arts, the thought and influence of Augustine, and the Catholic intellectual tradition. In addition, since Humanities and ACS explore a wide and diverse range of significant voices through human history, we seek teachers/scholars who represent that diversity in their scholarship and teaching interests.

Special Message to Applicants:
Applicants must apply on-line at http://jobs.villanova.edu. The deadline for applications is October 1, 2024 (11:59 pm). Initial interviews will be conducted virtually. Questions about the position can be directed to Dr. Michael Tomko, Chair and Professor of Humanities, at michael.tomko@villanova.edu.

Applications must include:

• Application letter

• Curriculum vitae

• Copies of transcripts (undergraduate and graduate)

• Three letters of recommendation. References will be contacted via email to submit confidential letters of recommendation when the application is submitted.

• Statement of Teaching Philosophy

• Response to Department Statement of Purpose

• Writing Sample

• For finalists invited to a campus interview: Statement of Contribution to Mission and Statement of Contribution to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Please note that official transcripts are required for finalists.

Posting Date: 07/30/2024
Closing Date (11:59pm ET): 10/01/2024
Salary Posting Information: Competitive.
Job Classification: faculty

To apply, visit: https://apptrkr.com/5557282